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For actor Kenneth Choi, dropping out of college was one of the best decisions he’s ever made.

As an unhappy accounting major at Purdue University bound for a life replete with tax forms and budget analyses, Choi dreamt of fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming an actor until finally, he was done with just dreaming.

“Eventually I said, you know, ‘I’m going to give it a go, I’m going to try it’ and so I dropped out of school, I packed up all of my belongings, which was not much, [I] saved up enough money to buy a one-way Greyhound ticket and I came out West,” said Choi.

And with his role in the big-budget Marvel comic book adaptation “Captain America: The First Avenger,” set for release nationwide July 22, 39-year-old actor Kenneth Choi has no regrets he boarded that bus.

Growing up in Chicago, Choi’s immigrant parents, especially his father, discouraged his childhood dreams of becoming an actor, instructing him to pursue a “responsible and reasonable” career, like accounting.

“I came from a very traditional kind of Asian upbringing and so they were very strict,” he said. “So when I decided to do this [pursue acting] I decided that I had to do this on my own. And so when I left I basically ran away from home.”

Without telling his family, and without any acting experience except for a few small roles in elementary and middle school performances, Choi moved to Portland, Ore., where his close friend Brett Butler assured him there was a small but vibrant acting community. Read more here.